>> remembering mandela. south africans gather to mourn the loss of a man who changed the nation and inspire generations. nelson mandela has died at the age of 95. thank for joining us on "france ." people around the world are gathering to mourn the loss of nelson mandela. this friday everyone from heads of state to people on the street are remembering mandela, who was

both inspirational and controversial. and ray brown looks back at the life of nelson mandela. born in the former trance state territory on july 18, 1918, nelson mandela was meant to become a tribal chief like his father. instead he became a lawyer and the first -- in the first lack legal practice in johannesburg. he joined the congress in 19 -- in -- in his practice, he was exposed to the inhumanity's of apartheid on a daily basis. he decided to fight back. opting for nonviolence as a strategy. he was first arrested in 1956 and prosecuted on treason charges, which were later dropped. nancyars later he married winnie.s when he -- >> there are many people who

feel it is useless and futile for us to continue talking peace and nonviolence against the government. on these savage attacks. on unarmed, defenseless people. >> he founded a military offshoot of the anc. he was arrested again in 1962 and tried for his anti-apartheid activity. mandela when sentenced to life in prison in 1964. he would end up spending a quarter of a century behind bars, first in robben island, then in cape town. waves of violence shook the country while he was in prison. forces shoternment dozens of youth and schoolchildren demonstrating peacefully. in the 1980's, the ministrations

-- demonstrations and police violence continued. the country's economy collapse. the anti-apartment movement it momentumked up abroad and nelson mandela became its symbol. mandela was eventually innsferred to another prison 1988 when he initiated secret negotiations with the government. in 1990, the ban on the anc was lifted. that year he walked out a free man. mandela was elected president of the anc in 1991. he continued to negotiate with president f.w. de klerk to seek an end to the country's racist laws. both men were awarded the nobel peace prize in 1993. >> we can stop the forward

movement of these forces in the country. inapartheid came to an end 1994 when black south africans were allowed to vote for the first time in the country's history. the anc won the harlem in three elections and nelson mandela was elected president of south africa. >> i stand before you filled with pride and joy. pride in the people of the country. determination -- enjoy that which you can loudly proclaim from the rooftops -- free at last. >> in june of 1999 after one presidential term, nelson

mandela retired from politics but remained committed to promoting peace and justice. he spoke out against the 2003 invasion of iraq and work at -- for aids. on policy he revealed his son had died of the disease. the last three years were marked with hospitalizations as he struggled with respiratory problems. had a lung infection after three months in the hospital. hisied peacefully at johannesburg home thursday. he was 95 years old. >> and ray brown reporting on the life of nelson mandela. earlier i spoke with the contributor to time magazine, who interviewed mandela on a number of occasions. she shared her experiences with us. was a really great interview because at least when

he came out of jail, he did not have the consciousness of how big a figure he was globally. he knew it abstractly, but he had not traveled yet. learning bylf accident on a midnight flight one day when he was on his way from johannesburg to negotiate the transition in the government, and he was gracious person in interesting the sense he was trying to come to terms with how he was going to put the country on a better democratic path. it was not easy. he was somewhat exhausted as well. he was overwhelmed when he came out of jail, and it did take some time not only for him to find his footing as a leader but also to try to bring together his base, which was deeply the whole concept of reconciliation and forgiveness

and everything that mandela stood for. there.an walt's speaking nearly 20 years ago, nelson mandela became the first lack president of south africa. while his political legacy lives on in many of the country's successes, it is still a long way from his dream of a rainbow nation. another performance in south africa's longest-running soap opera. she is no ordinary actress. an ambassador for the mandela foundation in the fight against aids. work she puts to good use in her role in isidongo. she plays the role of a does this woman with hiv.

>> it really has opened up so many doors for me. we have got, as characters, all the races and all the sexual differences or preferences. that is the world we live in. >> without being overly soft congress about it, -- overly self-conscious about it, it deals with real problems including racial prejudice from all sides. partnerg she and her have to deal with on a frequent basis. although they say it has become less of an issue in postapartheid south africa. pale skinned, english heritage. >> baldheaded. >> baldheaded. that is exactly the point. let's celebrate the fact that i am of european descent and that

she is african of african descent. the finals of the rugby world cup. [cheers and applause] and massivelyrged symbolic moment. rugby was then and some might say still is the bastion of white exclusivity. but putting on the jersey and celebrating their triumph, mandela delivered a clear is only onehere south africa and it is shared by all its people. for white south africans, it was a seminal moment. rugbyrs later, another international, and supporters in a cape town bar sing the national anthem. in one of the 11 official languages of south africa.

most of the team is still white, and most of its supporters, too. but things are changing. that is the number one priority. coach, no one would have -- a black coach, no one would have thought there would have been a black coach, but there is one today. africa is pinning its hopes on a new generation that has never experienced apartheid. today's schools are the seed beds of future equal opportunity for all. the reality is more complicated. depending on the area, the yougraphics of the area, have to resolve to come to the school, to live in the area. >> that means integration for

the new rich in upmarket areas like this one. but there is segregation for the majority who are still poor. a nelson mandela posturing of nonracial south africa is ever to come true, it is colorblind isool life this one in -- it colorblind schools like this one in johannesburg that have to take root. integrated schools will become the norm. but that is a notion that is beyond the dreams of the millions of south africans who still live in townships. without electricity, without water, without sewage pipes, plagued by crime. , like you say. i am doing the washing. there is nothing. we are just suffering here. you are looking for something better, maybe houses,

electricity, water. >> they killed him right in our yard. we go outside and we do not know who it is. go too far away during the night. it is better to say here. >> our government is corrupt just now, you see. they promise people a lot of things but they do not deliver. we have been waiting but we do not get nothing. mandela'sson successes, time and patience may be running out. south africa is changing fast. for the millions who have nothing, limiting -- living on promises alone is not good enough. >> robert parsons reporting there. reaction to mandela's death is report -- is pouring in from around the world. klerk waswilhelm de

awarded the peace prize in 1993 for ending apartheid along with mandela. he pays his respects. >> to south africa and to the world, the emphasis with which he has always put on the need for reconciliation, on the importance of human rights. in south africa and it also applies to other pose to the promotehe need to equality. he was a man of great integrity. >> one of mandela's best known it contemporaries in the anti- apartment -- in the anti- apartheid movement, archbishop desmond tutu. we hear from him now. after 27 years in apartheid colonialcenturies of division, subjugation, and

repression, he transcended race warmth andhrough his his wittiness -- and his willingness to listen and empathize with others, and restore people's faith in africa and africans. >> desmond tutu. longtime friend the dalai lama has also talked about praising him for letting go of goodness. must develop the termination and a doozy as and to carry his spirit. president, hee ofll carried the idea nonviolence, equality.

a very effective reconciliatory movement. >> the former south african president was remembered at the united nations as well. a moment of silence was held at the headquarters in new york, the security council into rubbing friday's meeting to honor mandela. moone moon -- ban ki calling mandela -- flags are flying at half mast. in death as in life, he has inspired global unity in honoring his passing. an influx of international tributes. u.s. president barack obama says his entry into politics began with anti-apartheid rallies at universities. he wrote in "the guardian" of having watched nelson mandela

over the years with admiration and humility. >> i cannot fully imagine my own life without the example that nelson mandela set. so long as i live, i will do what i can to learn from him. >> political activists who went leaders say nelson mandela inspired them to become leaders and overcome oppression. >> he understood nobody should be penalized for the color of their skin or the circumstances in which they were born. he understood we could change the world. , also winnerlama of the nobel peace prize, says he has lost a dear friend. tribute we "the best can pay to him is to honor his oneness of humanity and with peace and reconciliation as he did."

preparations began friday for the liberation hero's state funeral. mandela's passing came last night, but many south africans only found out when waking friday morning. the latest images coming there show an outpouring of emotion as people gather outside his home in johannesburg. "france 24" is there in johannesburg with the latest. the feeling in the streets of johannesburg, cape town, across south africa, people still coming to terms with the death of nelson mandela. people say they still need to get used to the idea of being in a south africa without nelson mandela. i spoke to somebody just before coming to the point right now. this person said to me, "when nelson mandela walked out of prison in 1990, i looked at him and i wondered what south africa would be with nelson mandela being free.

now i am wondering what south africa would be with nelson mandela not being around anymore." the one thing that nelson mandela will be remembered for across the world is his ability to unify people, to reunite people, to reconcile people. he was a global icon for unity, for peace, and justice. we heard last night and this morning throughout the day world leaders pay tribute to nelson mandela, celebrities painter bijan nelson mandela. most of them likened him to everything that was good, everything that was great. but nelson mandela was a very humble man. i remember the day he walked out onthe gates of the prison february 11, 1990. he said to the hundreds of thousands of people gathered, "today i stand before you not as a prophet that as a humble

servant of the people." that goes to show what a humble person nelson mandela was. i think right now south africans across the political spectrum from all walks of life are united in their grief for nelson mandela. not only nelson mandela the political leader, not only nelson mandela the former president of south africa, but for nelson mandela, the father of the nation. nelson mandela put his life on the line to bring an end to apartheid and minority white dominance in the country. on thelooks back segregation that brought the country worldwide infamy. >> apartheid was efficiently born in 1948. it divided south african society into four races -- white, black, colored, asian.

public places such as the beach and cinemas and hotels were largely reserved for whites. blacks were not allowed to vote or hold property in white areas. many black people were resettled .n reservations the government granted independence to four of them but then used the independence to strip many black south africans of their citizenship. economic and commercial needs required a black workforce, which cause many black families to be separated. it was a terrible system for family life. just look at what happens to black workers in the mines. they were all taken and were living in hostels next to the minds whether families -- while their families were living back where they were.

resistance was ruthlessly suppressed. the government introduced some reforms in the 1980's, but it was not until the election of president nelson mandela in 1984 that apartheid's grip on south african society was gone forever. >> all of her fairy reporting there. oflts of -- the death nelson mandela -- there is a summit he held on security and france's military intervention in the central african republic. -- we seeark roman that leaders have gathered there to talk security, but the news of mandela's death being taken in by all in attendance. >> yes, absolutely. it has had an immediate impact on the beginning of this summit, which is supposed to happen here at 2:00 p.m. the speech by the french president, francois hollande,

which will pay to do to nelson mandela. the order has been changed because the head of the south african delegation, the foreign minister, will be speaking, as will the president of the african union commission, who happens to also be south african. mrs. zuma will be talking about nelson mandela. there will be probably a minute of silence. the french president also announcing that he will attend the funeral of nelson mandela in south africa. i have talked to several presidents this morning who all paid tribute to nelson mandela and said there was a need for them to do their best for the toure of africa as a tribute nelson mandela. >> once the leaders get down to business, what exactly is the goal of the summit?

>> the goal of the summit, according to the french president, is to make sure that africans can handle their own security, which means better armies, better coordination, better intelligence sharing. this is a tall order because just as leaders are gathering, french troops are being deployed in the central african republic. this shows how much words -- how much work needs to be done here and in the years to come to make sure africans can indeed tackle african crises. some see as a paradox that france is calling all those leaders to come to paris, tell them to take care of their own security, and france is intervening in the central african republic as we speak. it intervened in mali, a few years ago in libya, and it had a coastimpact on the ivory a few years ago. clearly there are some tensions toween them and the pledge

attack the realities on the ground which are quite different. >> thank you. you are watching "france 24," and we will leave you now with some images coming out of johannesburg as people gather to celebrate the life and times of , whocon nelson mandela passed away at the age of 95 on thursday evening. do stay tuned to "france 24."